A speech to reclaim his annulled mandate on June 12 1994 by Chief MKO Abiola.

People of Nigeria, exactly one year
ago, you turned out in your millions to
vote for me, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, as
the President of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria. But politicians in uniform,
who call themselves soldiers but are
more devious than any civilian would
want to be, deprived you of your
God-given right to be ruled by the
President you had yourselves elected.
These soldier-politicians introduced
into our body politic, a concept
hitherto unknown to our political
lexicography, something strangely
called the “annulment” of an election
perceived by all to have been the
fairest, cleanest and most peaceful
ever held in our nation.
Since that abominable act of naked
political armed robbery occurred, I
have been constantly urged by people
of goodwill, both in Nigeria and
abroad, to put the matter back into
the people’s hands and get them to
actualise the mandate they gave me
at the polls. But mindful of the need
to ensure that peace continues to
reign in our fragile federation, I have
so far tried to pursue sweet reason
and negotiation.
My hope has always been to arouse
whatever remnants of patriotism are
left in the hearts of these thieves of
your mandate, and to persuade them
that they should not allow their
personal desire to rule to usher our
beloved country into an era of political
instability and economic ruin. All I
have sought to do, in seeking dialogue
with them, has been to try and get
them to realise that only real
democracy can move our nation
forward towards progress, and earn
her the respect she deserves from the
international community.
However, although this peaceful
approach has exposed me to severe
censure by some who have mistaken it
for weakness on my part, those with
whom I have sought to dialogue have
remained like stones, neither stirred
to show loyalty to the collective
decision of the people of their own
country, nor to observe Allah’s
injunction that they should exhibit
justice and fair-play in all their
dealings with their fellowmen.
Appeals to their honour as officers
and gentlemen of the gallant Nigerian
Armed Forces, have fallen on deaf
ears. Instead, they have resorted to
the tactics of divide and rule, bribery
and political perfidy, misinformation
and (vile) propaganda. They arrest
everyone who disagrees with them.
Even the 71-year old hero of our
nation, Chief Anthony Enahoro, was
not spared. How much longer can we
tolerate all this? People of Nigeria,
you are all witnesses that I have tried
to climb the highest mountain, cross
the deepest river and walk the longest
mile, in order to get these men to
obey the will of our people.
There is no humiliation I have not
endured, no snare that has not been
put in my path, no “setup” that has
not been designed for me in my
endeavour to use the path of peace to
enforce the mandate that you
bestowed on me one year ago. It has
been a long night. But the dawn is
here. Today, people of Nigeria, I join
you all in saying, “Enough is Enough!”
We have endured 24 years of military
rule in our 34 years of independence.
Military rule has led to our nation
fighting a civil war with itself.
Military rule has destabilised our
nation today as not before in its
history. Military rule has impoverished
our people and introduced a dreadful
trade in drugs which has made our
country’s name an anathema in many
parts of the world. Even soccer fans
going to watch the Green Eagles
display in America are being made to
suffer there needlessly because
Nigeria’s name is linked with credit
card and fraud and “419.” Politically,
military rule has torn to shreds the
prestige due to our country because
of its size and population.
The permanent seat at the United
Nations Security Council that should
be rightfully ours, is all but lost. For
who will vote for Nigeria to get the
seat if Nigerian military rulers do not
respect the votes of their own people?
Enough of military rule. We are
sickened to see people who have shown
little or no personal achievement,
either in building up private
businesses, or making success of any
tangible thing, being placed in charge
of the management of our nation’s
economy, by rulers who are not
accountable to anyone.
Enough of square pegs in round holes.
We are tired of then military
repetitive tendency to experiment with
our economy: Today, they say “no
controls.” Tomorrow; they say “Full
controls”. The day after, they say
“Fine tuning”.
The next day, they say “Devaluation.”
A few days later, they say “Revalue
the same naira upwards again Abi?”
All we can see are the consequences
of this permanent game of military
“about turns;” high inflation, a huge
budget deficit and an enormous
foreign debt repayment burden, dying
industries, high unemployment and a
demoralised populace.
Our youths, in particular, can see no
hope on the horizon, and many can
only dream of escaping from our
shores to join the brain drain. Is this
the Nigeria we want? We are plagued
also by periodic balance of payments
crises, which have led to a perennial
shortage of essential drugs, that has
turned our hospitals and clinics into
mortuaries.
A scarcity of books and equipment has
rendered our schools into desolate
deserts of ignorance. Our factories
are crying for machinery, spare parts
and raw materials. But each day that
passes, instead of these economic
diseases being cured, they are rather
strengthened as an irrational
allocation of foreign exchange based
on favouritism and corruption becomes
the order of the day.
Enough is enough of economic
mismanagement! People of Nigeria,
during the election campaign last
year, I presented you with a
programme entitled “HOPE ’93. This
programme was aimed precisely at
solving these economic (problems) that
have demoralised us all. I toured
every part of Nigeria to present this
programme to you the electorate. I
was questioned on it at public rallies
and press conferences and I had the
privilege of incorporating into it much
of the feedback that I obtained from
the people.
Because you knew I would not only
listen to you but deliver superb results
from the programme, you voted for
me in your millions and gave me an
overwhelming majority over my
opponent. To be precise, you gave me
58.4 per cent of the popular vote and
a majority in 20 out of 30 states plus
the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Not only that, you also enabled me to
fulfil the constitutional requirement
that the winner should obtain one-
third of the votes in two-thirds of the
states.
I am sure that when you cast an eye
on the moribund state of Nigeria
today, you ask yourselves: “What have
we done to deserve this, when we have
a president- elect who can lead a
government that can change things
for the better? Our patience has
come to an end. As of now, from this
moment, a new Government of
National Unity is in power throughout
the length and breadth of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, led by me,
Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola, as President
and Commander-in-Chief. The
National Assembly is hereby
reconvened. All dismissed governors
are reinstated.
The State Assemblies are
reconstituted, as are all local
government councils. I urge them to
adopt a bi-partisan approach to all
the issues that come before them. At
the national level, a bi-partisan
approach will be our guiding principle.
I call upon the usurper, General Sani
Abacha, to announce his resignation
forthwith, together with the rest of
his illegal ruling council. We are
prepared to enter into negotiations
with them to work out the mechanics
for a smooth transfer of power.
I pledge that if they hand over
quietly, they will be retired with all
their entitlements, and their positions
will be accorded all the respect due to
them. For our objective is neither
recrimination nor witch-hunting, but
an enforcement of the will of the
Nigerian people, as expressed in free
elections conducted by the duly
constituted authority of the time.
I hereby invoke the mandate bestowed
upon me by my victory in the said
election, to call on all members of the
Armed Forces and the Police, the Civil
and Public Services throughout the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, to obey
only the Government of National
Unity that is headed by me, your only
elected President.
My Government of National Unity is
the only legitimate, constituted
authority in the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, as of now. People of Nigeria,
these are challenging times in the
history of our continent, Africa, and
we in Nigeria must not allow ourselves
to be left behind. Our struggle is the
same as that waged by the people of
South Africa, which has been
successfully concluded, with the
inauguration of Mr. Nelson Mandela as
the first African President of that
country.
Nelson Mandela fought to replace
MINORITY rule with MAJORITY rule.
We in Nigeria are also fighting to
replace MINORITY rule, for we are
ruled by only a tiny section of our
armed forces. Like the South
Africans, we want MAJORITY rule
today, that is rule only by those
chosen by all the people of Nigeria as
a whole in free and fair elections.
The only difference between South
Africa and Nigeria is that those who
imposed minority rule on the majority
rule whether it is by black or white,
remains minority rule, and must be
booted out. I call on you, heroic people
of Nigeria, to emulate the actions of
your brothers and sisters in South
Africa and stand up as one person to
throw away the yoke of minority rule
for ever.
The antics of every minority that
oppresses the majority are always the
same. They will try to intimidate you
with threats of police action. But do
not let us fear arrest. In South
Africa, so many people were arrested,
during the campaign against the Pass
Laws, for instance, that the jails
could not hold all of them. Today,
apartheid is gone forever.
So, let it be with Nigeria. Let us say
goodbye forever to minority rule by
the military. They talk of treason. But
haven’t they heard of the Rivonia
treason trial in South Africa? Did
those treason trials halt the march of
history? People of Nigeria, our time is
now. You are the repository of power
in the land.
No one can give you power. It is yours.
Take it! From this day, show to the
world that anyone who takes the
people of Nigeria for fools is
deceiving himself and will have the
people to answer to. God bless you all.
Long live the Federal Republic of
Nigeria. Long live the Government of
National Unity.